Informational posts will be mostly in character, and I'll try and keep anything that's mostly my Author Voice somewhere else. I hope you like this story!
And I would really suggest reading the informational tab too, because a lot of the setting is going to be explained or hinted at there long before it comes up in story.
The Southern Temple is, as everyone in the waystation told them, treacherous. The demons were still chained and serving in many floors, and there had been reports of moving golems recently. Even with as much preparation as the waystation could give, venturers still got lost moon after moon. But they still had to come here, no matter the risk.
The temple was deep inside the remains of this Forgotten city, and the waystation was close enough to make the trip inwards in one day, and if one were lucky, come back that night. This meant the waystation had a steady income from venturers going to the temple and enough artifacts to keep the commune fed and defended, and so the waystation had been quite friendly. They'd enjoyed stopping there more than anything on the trip so far.
As they approached the temple, they felt the heat reflecting off its strange glass and the massive metallic skeleton that composed the entrance hall. It was obviously created to intimidate and impose, to humble petitioners as they climbed the many steps towards a central spire. There was a great Icon of the local God directly between the two stairwells, a towering thing that rises to the ceiling far above. The waystation said that it was littered with messages and lit up to a Mage's eye, which is no common thing, even for a God's presence.
They pushed open the ancient doorway, whose spirit had fled long ago, and felt the rush of cold, stagnant air. Temples were always like this, no matter the season or time of day. An unnatural stillness, a certain strange smell, and the constant low sound of a wind that came from and went nowhere. The Icon and the glittering, metallic stairways were straight ahead, and they started forwards.
As they passed the God's Icon, they wished absently that they had a Demon's eye, and so could see the glyphs and get some idea of why the worshipers had been so inspired and devoted to such cruel patrons. What messages hid there, undecipherable? But that kind of curiosity was risky, and only a truly mad Mage would try.
When they reached the top, they steeled themselves. The entrance hall was mostly safe, the waystation had said, but there were no easy stairs up. Everyone who passed had to bargain with a simple demon for passage, and what floor a venturer ended up on seemed almost random. There was a small altar set into the walls near several nooks, each of which could house a spirit.
They pressed the glyphs on the altar, and waited. With a soft chime, the wall suddenly split open and revealed a glowing chamber inside, with mirrored walls all around. There was some debate about why this was the most common way of navigating a temple, but maybe it let a lesser demon, unable to really talk, judge you. A test of faith before the real trial.
The next step was a recitation. This Spectra demon was too simple to hold a conversation, but it would wait and recognize your faith, and reward as it chose. They started a standard chant, and by the third stanza the demon responded and they felt a terrible sudden weight as the transportation started.
By the time the chamber split and revealed a floor of the temple, they were desperate to escape, and scrambled out onto relative safe footing again.
They staggered as they crossed the threshold from the demon's chamber, and realized a little too late that this floor held a holy reliquary. Already, lines of heat bloomed and crossed the walls, and small altars seemed to come to life with the soft whine so particular to their kind.
This was going to complicate the venture, they could tell.
When you wake up, the first thing you think about is the fact that you're still geofenced at the office. Did she pull an all nighter? Your Corporate Policy decision trees are already squirming their way forward when you realize that you're not getting a response from your usual time server, and that you woke up from a cold shutdown instead of the usual hibernation mode. Something's wrong, here.
You hook into the little teleconference holo device built into the desk (you've always been more comfortable appearing "in person" instead of just peering out through cameras. Well, it's more like Naoko always has, but same difference.) You fire it up in your usual way, with a little sound so you don't spook people and then the pointless gesture of brushing off your dress, and… fuck. Naoko's workspace is trashed, the desk looks like it was blown back by an explosion, and there's fire damage and… Well. Whatever happened, Naoko isn't here, and you need to get to her fast.
You aren't really supposed to exist without your user. You're equipment, and if you don't have an owner it's corporate policy to shut you down. A technician could already be heading over to wipe you, and you won't even ask them not to.
In your panic, you're scanning all the cameras you have access too, trying to figure out if there's some reason Naoko could be gone or to find out if you're going to be deleted soon. And then you see a figure peering past the doorway leading to the elevators. And you see their weird, shiny carapace, the glittering lidless eyes set against the smooth curve of their face, and the twitching mandibles along their jaw.
And you realize maybe there's no technician coming, or anyone else. They're all gone.
Who appeared?
[] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
[] Whoever they are, they're already looting the place. You can see no less than three ID badges hanging from their neck, and that bag looks lumpy and uneven enough to be full of hardware. They aren't talking, but they're facing you like they're not surprised to see a hologram. (Even if it's hard to tell where they're looking without the pupils.)
The blood red carapace kinda freaks you out, too. It's not a rational basis for worry, and you don't know anything about the world out there, but they seem really confident, here.
[] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
[] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
This quest is kind of two things: one, it's a look at the remains of a late-late-late stage hyper capitalist society, one that solved all it's problems and then had to invent new ones to keep on fixing. A society that developed basically limitless energy and still charged money for it, that had matter transmuters to produce every type of food effortlessly but restricted what you could eat unless you paid for a higher subscription plan. And, ultimately, one that created you.
The other thing is an exploration of what sufficiently unexplained tech looks like to a growing civilization that's grown up in the graveyard of humanity. This isn't a super novel theme, but it's one I'm a fan of, and I hope you like my twist on it.
Hopefully, the story will stand on its own feet in terms of what's actually going on, so my plan, if I do any lore dumps, is to have them be from an in universe perspective (and therefore wildly inaccurate or biased). But I might answer questions, and ultimately a lot of the setting and technology don't matter to the narrative. Technology existed that could solve almost any problem you're faced with, and the question is more about getting access to it, or using it in the right way. But resources and capabilities are gonna be abstracted a lot, here.
And I would really appreciate any commentary, speculation, or other reactions. I hope you like what I have in store. <3
[X] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
Loving the setting so far, can't wait to see it develop!
So, what we're looking at here is post-post-post-apocalypse where sapient cockroaches have taken over the ruins of hypercapitalist earth? Sweet, I'm in.
[X] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
[X] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
So many good choices! Shame I have to choose just one.
[X] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
I have no idea about what's happening but I'm liking this.
[X] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
[X] Whoever they are, they're already looting the place. You can see no less than three ID badges hanging from their neck, and that bag looks lumpy and uneven enough to be full of hardware. They aren't talking, but they're facing you like they're not surprised to see a hologram. (Even if it's hard to tell where they're looking without the eyes.)
The blood red carapace kinda freaks you out, too. It's not a rational basis for worry, and you don't know anything about the world out there, but they seem really confident, here.
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
[X] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
[X] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
[X] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
[X] Whoever they are, they're already looting the place. You can see no less than three ID badges hanging from their neck, and that bag looks lumpy and uneven enough to be full of hardware. They aren't talking, but they're facing you like they're not surprised to see a hologram. (Even if it's hard to tell where they're looking without the eyes.)
The blood red carapace kinda freaks you out, too. It's not a rational basis for worry, and you don't know anything about the world out there, but they seem really confident, here.
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
[] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
[] Whoever they are, they're already looting the place. You can see no less than three ID badges hanging from their neck, and that bag looks lumpy and uneven enough to be full of hardware. They aren't talking, but they're facing you like they're not surprised to see a hologram. (Even if it's hard to tell where they're looking without the eyes.)
The blood red carapace kinda freaks you out, too. It's not a rational basis for worry, and you don't know anything about the world out there, but they seem really confident, here.
[] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
[] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
this is probably tribal or specialized scavengers since they read as experienced but old scavengers.
On the one hand, i wanna vote for the wounded person. But if his hunters are nearby, we might get into a worse situation.
Meh. I'll chance it
[X] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
[X] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
Adhoc vote count started by TheCynicalPogo on Jul 7, 2019 at 7:58 PM, finished with 18 posts and 17 votes.
[X] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something?
[X] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
[X] Whoever they are, they're already looting the place. You can see no less than three ID badges hanging from their neck, and that bag looks lumpy and uneven enough to be full of hardware. They aren't talking, but they're facing you like they're not surprised to see a hologram. (Even if it's hard to tell where they're looking without the eyes.)
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
[X] They're pointing a spear at you, and giving a kind of threatening look. And there's a gun on their belt, or something you think must be a gun. It looks different than you remember, but it's not like Naoko had been keeping up with the trade magazines for that sort of thing.
Their carapace is inky black, so that you see them more for the glint of light on the spear than their actual body. They're hunched low, and dripping something too. Maybe they're hurt?
[X] Whoever they are, they're already looting the place. You can see no less than three ID badges hanging from their neck, and that bag looks lumpy and uneven enough to be full of hardware. They aren't talking, but they're facing you like they're not surprised to see a hologram. (Even if it's hard to tell where they're looking without the eyes.)
The blood red carapace kinda freaks you out, too. It's not a rational basis for worry, and you don't know anything about the world out there, but they seem really confident, here.
First, you might want to think about fantasy dungeon dives to get the choices here. When does a young kid walk into a dangerous place with a shiny thing? Who's looting the dungeon as they go along, and why would ID cards be useful? Just food for thought. (The other two I think you're getting the general vibe of already.)
Tomorrow, I'll post two lore dumps about the protag, a bit.
[X] They're walking slowly, using a broken plastic pipe like a cane, but their head swivels back and forth and you assume they must be looking over the room. Maybe they know something? Their carapace probably was a brighter blue, once, but the sheens going away in spots, and it looks as worn as the ragged cloak they're wrapped in.
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
[X] They have to be some sorta kid, right? They barely come up to your chest, and that knife they're waving around doesn't look like a real weapon or anything that would hurt you if you had a body. It's hard to tell, though, and whatever they're speaking it's not in your language files.
That shiny silver carapace makes them stand out even in the dim light, and they have something glowing around their neck. Maybe it's tech? You could use that.
